The new commander of Australia’s training mission in Iraq has predicted the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group will be defeated in the war-torn country within a year.

Colonel Andrew Lowe took command of Task Group Taji when the third rotation of Australian soldiers — drawn largely from the Army’s 1st brigade — arrived in Iraq in June.

“Through our observations of the enthusiasm and confidence of the Iraqi soldiers that we’re training, when I look at the success, the recent success in the liberation of Fallujah and the success of the clearance north up to date up the Tigris River Valley, I have no reason to doubt that Daesh [Islamic State] will be defeated certainly in Iraq by August next year,” Colonel Lowe told ABC’s AM program.

Colonel Andrew Lowe (left) talks with an Australian and Iraqi soldier. Photo: AAP.

He  said his optimism is shared by American commanders leading the Coalition fight and he predicts the advance on the IS stronghold of Mosul will begin by year’s end.

“We expect to see by the end of the year in our time that the Iraqi Army will have generated a sufficient force to be able to commence that Mosul offensive.”

His upbeat assessment coincides with a dramatic increase in the number of Iraqi soldiers being trained at the Taji Military Complex outside Baghdad.

“It’s good to be busy. A busy soldier is a happy soldier,” Colonel Lowe said.

Australia’s joint military training mission with New Zealand is now into its 15th month and the men and women deployed to Taji have never been busier.

Generating as many Iraqi troops as possible

However, the record number of Iraqi recruits being trained has meant Task Group Taji has had to adjust its training schedule.

Iraqi soldiers at the Camp Taji in Baghdad, Iraq, late last year. Photo: Getty.

“We’ve had to look at how we conduct training, we’ve had to rationalise in certain areas, but our main effort is training,” Colonel Lowe said.

“Our highest priority is protection of our force. But our main effort is training. So we’ve adjusted internally to generate as many trainers as we can.”

The brutal Iraqi summer has also prompted Task Group Taji to make some critical safety adjustments.

“You’ve got to rotate your soldiers often so they’re not exposed for long periods of time in the heat particularly when they’re wearing helmets and body armour,” Colonel Lowe said.

“We use a lot of ice, we drink a lot of water and there’s vigilance amongst the leaders and the soldiers themselves to ensure that everybody remains composed and healthy.”